PWHL expansion has built excitement across North America for the league...but it's also detracted from the excitement of the league's ongoing on-ice product in the heart of the Walter Cup finals.
Expansion has been a hot topic for fans and observers of the PWHL, from speculation in the season about which cities might get a new team to how the process would take shape with potentially four teams added. The league has never shied away from making dramatic moves in a short time frame; last year, the additions of Seattle and Vancouver were announced in late April, and the expansion draft took place June 9.
This season, with four teams on the way, the tumult has risen to a new level. Rumors swirled about cities that were in the running, then suddenly weren’t. Announcements were hinted at and then formalized within days.
Meanwhile, the PWHL playoffs have rolled on, with two dramatic semi-final series wrapping up and a historic all-Canadian final underway. The series between Minnesota and Montreal had drama and controversy with two games back to back that tested the players’ health and fitness. The deciding game five was postponed when illness hit both lineups. And the Victoire managed to win their first-ever playoff series against the two-time champions, meaning a brand new champion will be crowned in 2026.
However, most of the headlines during the past week have been about Detroit, Las Vegas, Hamilton, and now San Jose. The expansion team announcements were streamed live, the new teams’ colors and identity were revealed through social media and on the league website, and eager fans started buying team merchandise online.
Game 1 of the finals was an exciting, tight game with a dramatic overtime finish. Just two days later, Game 2 was another overtime battle won by the Victoire. Game 3 in Ottawa was a nail biter and saw the Charge make a late comeback to save their season.
Yet the focus of attention is split. Complaints about a team in Hamilton being too close to Toronto, confusion about the omission of Takeover Tour cities and candidates like Denver, Quebec City, Halifax, and Calgary, as well as general confusion about the process of player dispersal have been equal to or even greater than the coverage of the actual on-ice product.
The teams in the final are not distracted, but journalists, agents, and fans have to keep an eye on a lot of moving pieces as the season comes to a conclusion. The timing of these announcements is curious to say the least, but because of the accelerated pace of getting to the coveted twelve teams, the PWHL has created a bottleneck of activity.
Already the expansion dates have been pushed back to June 2 to accommodate new GM’s and others gearing up for player selection. The complicated multi-phase signing and claim procedure requires chess-level maneuvering and contingency plans for how best to keep or afford the best roster of players. Good luck to the brand new GM’s like Manon Rheaume in Detroit and Dominique Didia in Las Vegas who need to familiarize themselves with players, hire staff, and start to calculate how to sign and draft their rosters.
By the end of next week, a new Walter Cup champion will hoist the cup and celebrate a historic victory. Either Marie-Philip Poulin or Brianne Jenner will add to their massive trophy case and the hard work of a long season will culminate in an exciting finish. But attention will quickly turn to how the makeup of the teams will change with expansion and how the off-season will unfold. It’s the unfortunate reality of a league moving at light speed toward its next phase.